Qilu Academy is also the former Prince De Mansion.

In the courtyard, the lights were bright and bright like daytime. Hundreds of Eight Immortals tables were lined up, and dozens of labourers were busy placing various foods on the table.

There are four meat and eight vegetables and two soups, a total of fourteen dishes, a combination of hot and cold, and the meat and vegetables are appropriate. Although this standard is not very high, it is enough to be considered a luxury in troubled times.

Seeing that the preparation was almost done, Song Zuyi ordered a thin middle-aged official beside him and said, "Go and invite those scholars to come! Let them sit in sequence. The fruit wine sent from Dengzhou will be served one can at a table. I will give them a private message, although this wine is delicious, it has great potential, so you must not drink too much. I have studied hard for more than ten years just to get a title on the list of gold, so don't miss your future because of drunkenness."

The middle-aged official responded and turned around and left.

Another young official asked, "Master Song, should the subordinates go and invite the commander and the commander to come now?"

Song Zuyi shook his head, "You are here to stare, I will go and ask the commander in person."

Far away from the lively courtyard, in a slightly quiet room, Zhou Xian, Wan Ji and Li Yan sat opposite each other.

Li Yan picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of the tea. "This is the case now. The food rations of the soldiers in Kaifeng City have been cut by half, but even so, they can only support them for two months at most. If the siege of Kaifeng cannot be untied within two months, even if the Qing army does not attack the city, Kaifeng may not be able to defend it."

Zhou Xian frowned and asked, "Has Mrs. Gao made a decision? After the rescue, will they be willing to accept the incorporation of our army?"

Li Yan said: "According to Gu Junen, Mrs. Gao had no objection to this, but Gao Yigong, Tian Jianxiu and other generals disagreed. They proposed to gather all the troops and lead their troops to break through. However, this move was not approved by the civil and military officials in the city. They felt that the rebel army could still support Kaifeng's strong city. If they left the city, they would be defeated by the Qing army, which had the advantageous troops. The method they proposed was to send people to negotiate peace with the Qing army, and temporarily surrender to the Qing Dynasty in exchange for their retreat."

Zhou Xian nodded gently to express his understanding.

Gao Yigong, Tian Jianxiu and others were former subordinates of the rebel army. They followed Li Zicheng to fight in the south and north, and experienced countless failures. They felt that as long as they broke through, no matter how much the losses were, they would have a chance to make a new happen.

Therefore, their support for the team breaks through.

Those who disagree were the officials and gentry who later surrendered to the Ming Dynasty and the rebel army occupied Henan.

Most of them are locals and have land around Kaifeng. They will never leave easily unless they have to. The most important thing is that they are usually pampered and cannot ride horses on the front and kill enemies with swords on the bottom. Even if they break out, they don’t feel that they can bear the pain of breaking away.

Among them, not many are truly loyal to the trespassing army, but more of them are just compromises under force. As long as they can maintain their own interests, they can accept it whether they surrender to the Qing Dynasty or surrender to Zhou Xian.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Xian looked up and asked, "The Qing army has been besieging Kaifeng for nearly half a year. Seeing that it is about to be broken, how could they easily retreat because of the words of the defenders in the city? Gao Yigong, Tian Jianxiu and others' opinions are even more undesirable. After leaving the city, they will not know that their own army is not the opponent of the Qing army. Besides, even if they are lucky enough to break through, where can they go? Shaanxi, Henan, Shandong, or Huainan? Which force can a group of defeated soldiers be able to overcome?"

Zhou Xian glanced at Li Yan and then said, "Although Li Zicheng is not favored by ordinary gentry, the poor people in the world support him very much. In the past, Li Zicheng was still there, no matter how heavy the losses were at that time, as long as he was the banner of King Chuang, he would soon be able to pull out a large army. Now Li Zicheng is dead, who has the prestige of King Chuang? They should know that besides surrendering to Manhu, they only have reinforcements along the way. Gao Yigong and Tian Jianxiu are all long-standing generals, so it is impossible not to know these. I am just strange. Is it so hard for them to accept the proposal of incorporating them?"

Li Yan smiled faintly, "They are generals who lead the troops. If there is no soldiers, what can they be? After all, you are an old general of the Ming Dynasty and a rebel citizen. They don't believe in Wangquan's guarantee. Even if I am in the middle, they think this is still not enough."

Zhou Xian thought for a moment, nodded and said, "That's right, but I don't seem to be able to give them more guarantees."

Li Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "Wangquan, Gu Junen told me a way to solve this problem. If he did as he said, it might not only solve this problem, but also gain the complete allegiance of those invaders."

Zhou Xian suddenly became interested, "You said."

"The King of Chuang has a daughter named Li Cuiwei. She is now seventeen and is in the grade of marriage." After Li Yan said this, he kept silent and looked at Zhou Xian quietly.

Zhou Xian's face changed slightly, he pointed at Li Yan, and then pointed at himself, "Are you talking about me? And her?"

Li Yan nodded, "Only through marriage, they will feel that they are not outsiders and can serve you willingly in the future. The number of soldiers in the Brexit is large, there are many mountains, and the military discipline is not good. If they are surrendered, you will definitely lay off a large number of soldiers. Will they still feel at ease? But if you marry Li Cuiwei, this situation will be different. He is the only descendant left by the King of Brexit. Gao Yigong is his uncle, Tian Jianxiu, and Liu Tiren are the generals who have followed the King of Brexit for many years. At that time, they will support you and you can do whatever you want."

Zhou Xian looked up at Wan Ji and found that the latter looked at him with great fun. "Mr. Wan, what do you think!"

Wan Ji smiled, "You have to make your own decision on this matter, and I am not convenient for you to speak. But one thing is that before the late emperor died in his country, he betrothed Princess Kunxing to you. Even if you decide to marry Li, you should ensure Princess Kunxing's status as the wife. Lin Quan, what do you think!"

Li Yan thought for a moment and nodded. "Mr. Wan said very well."

Seeing that Zhou Xian didn't say anything, Li Yan continued, "Wangquan, Cuiwei and I don't have much contact with each other, and I have only seen a few of her faces. Just talking about her appearance, she is definitely better than most girls. Regarding other things, I dare not say much. But Hong'er has always praised her sister, believing that she is gentle, kind, humble and polite, is a rare good match. I want to..."
Chapter completed!